A hydration system is a portable liquid container system designed to enable a user engaged in an outdoor activity, for example, a sport, to drink as needed while on the move. The system is designed to operate with minimal use of the user's hands. For example, a hydration system may include a flexible bag or bladder made of a material impermeable to liquids. The flexible bladder may be designed to be worn by the user, for example, by being strapped to the user's back or arm. Alternatively, the bladder may be mounted on other gear, such as a backpack or other carrier that is carried without the use of hands. The hydration system enables a user to drink from a liquid in the bladder through a drinking hose that extends from the system to the user's mouth. One end of the drinking hose attaches to a suitable connector on the bladder. The other free end of the drinking hose typically is provided with a drinking valve. The drinking valve typically is self sealing. Thus, when not being used to drink, the drinking valve seals the drinking hose. When wishing to drink, a user may bite on the valve, or perform another similar hands-free operation, to open the drinking valve and drink through the drinking hose.
The bladder of a hydration system is generally provided with a sealable opening through which the bladder may be filled from a source of liquid. However, filling the bladder through such an opening typically requires removing the bladder, for example, by undoing any straps holding the bladder to the user's body. The bladder filler port must then be supported under a liquid dispenser, such as a water tap, or the mouth of a bottle containing refilling liquid, while the bladder is being re-filled.
In order to avoid the inconvenience and delay involved in removing the bladder every time a user needs to re-fill it, a hydration system may be provided with a filling adapter. The filling adapter enables filling the bladder, for example through its drinking hose, while leaving the bladder in place. For example, a filling adapter may be designed to temporarily replace the drinking valve at the end of the drinking hose. In order to fill the bag using a filling adapter, a user may, for example, detach the drinking valve from the drinking hose and attach the filling adapter in its place. The drinking hose may be provided with a valve that may be closed to prevent liquid contents of the bag from spilling out when the drinking valve is removed.
For a typical hydration system, a filling adapter is designed either to fit over a specific fixture or liquid dispenser neck, such as, for example, a particular water tap design or type of bottle mouth. A user may select an appropriate filling adapter on the basis of the type of liquid dispenser that is available. Thus use of an adapter may be limited to a particular liquid dispenser, or to a liquid dispenser with an opening of a particular size.
Another problem arises when using existing filling adapters to fill the hydration system from a rigid or semi-rigid bottle. In general, in order to enable a liquid to flow freely from a bottle as the bottle is emptied, air must be allowed into the bottle to replace the volume vacated by the removed liquid. If the volume of removed liquid is not replaced with air, the atmospheric pressure outside the bottle may tend to resist the flow of liquid from the bottle into the hydration system. In the case of filling from a flexible or crushable bottle, the bottle may require squeezing or crushing as it is emptied in order to facilitate transfer of the liquid. However, the design goal in hydration systems is generally to enable operation that is as hands-free as possible. In the case of filling from a rigid bottle, squeezing the bottle may not be possible.
Thus, there is a need for a filling adapter for a hydration system that may be used with a variety of liquid dispensers, and that enables operation with one hand during most stages of the filling.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a filling adapter that is adaptable to a wide range of diameters of liquid dispenser necks, and that may be used easily even when filling from rigid bottles.
Other aims and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after reading the present invention and reviewing the accompanying drawings.